James 5:1–11 — riches, patience, and the coming of the Lord

Through James, part 16 · James 5:1–11

To the rich (vv. 1–6)

"Come now, you rich people, weep and wail over the miseries that are coming on you. Your wealth has rotted and your clothes are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you..."

The wealth James describes was uselessly hoarded, unjustly gained, self-indulgently spent, and ruthlessly acquired. Their food supply rotted in storage. Their embroidered robes — heirloom wealth in that world — went to the moths. They cheated their field hands out of wages, and the cries of those workers reached the ears of the Lord of Armies.

Nothing reveals the state of a person's heart like his view of money. Jesus said, "No servant can serve two masters... You cannot serve both God and money" (Luke 16:13). So the question is direct: do you worship God, or money? God is the One who blessed you with what you have. What will you do with it — pursue His desires or your own? Many profess Christ, and their pursuit of possessions betrays them.

Our resources exist to provide for our families, and beyond that to advance the kingdom of God: win the lost, care for people in need, support those in ministry. Followers of Christ aren't to amass a fortune and stash it away with no regard for God's will. As plainly as I can say it: we miss what Jesus has for us when we pursue wealth over His will. Abandon the American dream — the salary, the car, the house, the travel, the stuff — and follow the commission of Christ.

Be patient like a farmer (vv. 7–8)

"Therefore, brothers and sisters, be patient until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the Lord's coming is near."

This word for patience means being patient with people — particularly people who are harming you. James taught patience through trials in chapter 1; now he's teaching patience under persecution, likely the very persecution the rich in verses 1–6 were dishing out. Farmers in that region planted after the fall rains and harvested after the spring rains. Planting, farming, and harvesting all require waiting. And so does the Lord's return: "The Lord does not delay His promise... but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).

"Strengthen your hearts" means fix them, make them firm. Trust in the Lord. Jesus said, "Don't let your heart be troubled... I will come again and take you to Myself" (John 14:1–3). The more persecuted a church is, the more it longs for the return of Christ. That coming return should make us live holy, and it holds us firm when we're being pressed. And "near" means imminent — it could happen at any moment.

The Judge is at the door (v. 9)

"Brothers and sisters, do not complain about one another, so that you will not be judged. Look, the judge stands at the door!"

Impatience with God often turns into impatience with God's people. Resentment, frustration, and disdain for other believers will work its way out into how you treat them — and it'll be judged. Every Christian will stand before Christ. Not a judgment of condemnation for sin; that was settled at the cross. A judgment of our works: "each one's work will become obvious... revealed by fire" (1 Corinthians 3:12–15). Some will be rewarded; for others it will reveal a wasted life — that's the "weep and wail" of verse 1. So this verse makes us consider our ways: our money, our time, our resources. Honestly, are you excited about that day? If not, I'd suggest making some dramatic changes.

The prophets and Job (vv. 10–11)

The prophets endured affliction and kept going. Job endured, and God blessed him more at the end than the beginning — "the Lord is compassionate and merciful." We count those who endure as blessed. Great blessing is the outcome of patience through trials and persecution; the key is that we must actually endure.

Three things from verses 7–11: endure persecution with patience; be encouraged by the hope of Christ's imminent return; and be sobered by His imminent judgment of your life.

At the door

Everything in this chapter leans on one fact: a day is coming and the Judge is already standing at the door. For the believer that day is about works, and the sin question was settled at the cross a long time ago. For the person who has never trusted Christ, it's a different day entirely, and I'm not going to soften that for you.

But it doesn't have to be your day. The rot, the corrosion, the years you can't get back, the money that won't follow you out — Jesus took that whole account, paid it with His blood, and came out of the grave three days later to prove the payment cleared. Call on Him, and the Judge at the door becomes the Savior standing there.

And if you're His already: the farmer doesn't get the early rain by staring at the sky and complaining about the clouds. Do your waiting on purpose this week. Pick the one thing you grumble about most — a person in the church, a boss, a bill — and every time it comes up in your head, trade the complaint for a prayer. Keep a count. That number will tell you more about your patience than this post did.

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